Fairy Tales
by EmrysTheMerlin
Summary: Stiles Stilinski is no Princess but she is finding fairy tales coming to life in a dangerous way in Beacon Hills. She and the pack investigate but what they dont know is someone's set their sights on Stiles. Sterek. Fem! Stiles. AU
1. Most Recent Problems

**Author's Note: Ok so I have fallen into a teen wolf hole, and I blame the tattoo I got from Merlin which is also the Triskelion Derek has on his back. Also Stiles is my spirit animal, and I'm planning a Fem! Stiles Cosplay. As I normally do I got inspiration for a story by that. This changes events from the show, Erica and Boyd stayed and survived, Allison was in Paris visiting family for the Nogitsune so she survived too. Kira hasn't left and Season six hasn't happened yet. The Twins joined the Hale pack. I own nothing.**

 **Fairy Tales**

1 Most Recent Problems

Stiles sighed and laid her head down on the desk in front of her. Yet another string of odd occurrences had struck Beacon Hills and so far they couldn't find anything that even connected the occurrences. Even with Stiles' access to her dad's files they couldn't figure out what was going on. All they really knew was that something supernatural had come to town within the last few weeks, Derek had smelled it first, but it had seemed to be alone not a threat. It avoided the Nemeton and stayed away from the pack but in the last three days three girls had ended up hospitalized due to what appeared to be unexplained circumstances. All three of them were now comatose and appeared to be slowly dying but no one could figure out what was wrong with them. None of the girls had the same symptoms save the coma. The police were treating it as separate cases but that didn't feel right to Stiles. She ran a hand through her hair and frowned, it was getting too long. Normally her hair was boy short, she'd kept it that short since her mother died but she'd been so busy since Scott got bit she hadn't had time to take care of her appearance. She sat back up and flipped through the files again.

All three girls had been seen going through their normal daily lives, nothing odd happening at all. They'd been found in different places seemingly having been doing different things. There were no toxins in their systems, nothing physically wrong with any of them save for a pinprick on the first girls finger, a rose thorn in the seconds and, and what appeared to be a shard of glass in the thirds foot. None of it made any sense. Stiles sighed, she'd gone through the normal routes of investigation so she decided to get silly. She'd searched for a connection between the women but nothing. So she hacked their individual Facebook accounts and emails to get an idea of their lives, admittedly she had some help getting into the accounts. Danny had found out about the Hale Pack when Jackson had accidently wolfed out in front of him. He said he wanted to think about it when Derek offered him the bite.

This yielded a few interesting tidbits about the three women the first one suffered from narcolepsy which is what the doctors had originally assumed was what had happened but she had yet to wake up. The second girl was dating a rich older man who had a previous history of violence and apparently really liked gardening. He was currently under investigation but they could find no evidence that he'd done anything wrong. And the final girl had by far the most messed up home life. Her father had become an alcoholic when her mother had died, he'd married another woman who had two kids of her own both daughters. While the father was too drunk to notice the stepmother had begun to abuse her, her only solace had appeared to be her boyfriend. According to her last Facebook post she'd been heading home from his house just before she'd been found. Something about that sounded familiar but Stiles couldn't think with the silence in her house. Her father was working late again. She grabbed her phone and opened the Netflix app. Flipping through her list she found a movie she hadn't seen in a long time and set it to play in the background. The opening narration of Cinderella began to play as Stiles turned back to her research. Moments later she froze. Snatching up her phone she rewound the movie and listened again to the opening narration. Dropping the phone back onto the desk she pulled up her search browser and spent the next few hours scouring the net.

Derek's phone rang as he pulled himself up on his bar. He sighed. It was nearly one am and most sane people were asleep but the full moon was approaching rapidly and his wolf was restless. He didn't need as much sleep as a normal person anyway. He let his phone ring till it stopped. He finished his set and rolled his eyes as his phone started ringing again. He dropped to the floor of his loft and checked the caller ID. He sighed and answered.

"Hello Stiles."

"Fairy Tales!" Derek frowned at the random exclamation from the sheriff's daughter.

"What?" Derek could hear Stiles spin in her desk chair.

"The connection we've been looking for, the comatose girls! Keep up Sourwolf. Fairy tales are the connection. I know it sounds crazy but hear me out. The first girl is a pretty blonde, adopted by two wonderful ladies when she was a baby, their sister happens to live with them too. She has narcolepsy, just turned sixteen and just got back into contact with her birth parents like a week ago. Falls into her coma after she pricks her finger on an embroidery needle. Sound familiar?" Derek picked up one of his weights.

"No." He could practically see her roll her eyes.

"Alright try this one. Girl in a possibly abusive relationship with a man who also appears to spoil her rotten and adores his rose garden. I'll admit that the coma is a bit off from that tale but the fact that her sisters are horrible to her and her dad recently lost everything fits. Does that one sound familiar?" Derek paused mid bicep curl but shook his head.

"No." Stiles made a frustrated noise.

"Ok fine but you can't have not heard of this one. Little girl's mother dies, father turns into an alcoholic and marries an asshole with two other daughters. The stepmom starts abusing the girl. Stepsisters are horrible too. Her only comfort is her rich, secret boyfriend. She ends up like the rest after leaving said boyfriends house, she's found with glass in and around her foot." Derek switched hands.

"I'll admit that one sounds familiar. But you need to get to your point Stiles." Stiles made a triumphant noise.

"That's what I thought too. It's Cinderella! The first one was Sleeping Beauty, the one in the middle is Beauty and the Beast. That's the only connection between them, one of them was home visiting from college, that's Beauty. One of them was homeschooled, Sleeping Beauty. And Cinderella went to Beacon Hills High, she's in sophomore year! None of them had met or were even Facebook friends. There's literally nothing else that connects them, save gender." Derek frowned.

"The Beauty and the Beast one doesn't make sense, she didn't have sisters in the movie." There was silence over the line for a moment.

"You know Disney movies?" Derek nodded, then remembered that he was on the phone.

"Yes I do, Cora likes them." Stiles nodded. Cora had moved back in with her brother after the Nogitsune incident.

"I am going to tease you about that endlessly but no this is closer to the original story. In that one Belle's dad isn't an inventor he's a business owner, who loses everything. He finds the beasts castle when he is on the way home from checking on one of his missing ships that had come in after a storm. The sisters ask for huge expensive gifts but Belle just asks for a rose. She's the only one who gets a gift but the beast threatens to kill her father over the rose so Belle gives herself up to him instead." Derek nodded.

"Alright so how do you think they connect? The fairy tale angle could work but why?" Stiles shrugged.

"Hey I'm not the expert on supernatural here, sadly that's Peter. And I'm not calling Uncle Pedo at one am." Derek frowned setting down his weight.

"So you called me?" He could just hear the clacking of a keyboard.

"You're the only other person I know who's up this late. Scott is either sucking face with Kira or asleep by now. Dad's at work and still doesn't know about the supernatural. I don't know what Erica and Boyd are doing right now, probably don't wanna and Isaac and Allison won't be back for another three days. Lydia would kill me if I interrupted her beauty sleep and I honestly still don't think Jackson likes me. Malia and the twins are always busy, and again I don't really wanna know what with. Danny is the heaviest sleeper ever and wouldn't wake up even if I called him. And Liam needs all the sleep he can get with two fucking Alphas teaching him, no offence. And again, Peter might be awake, but just no." Derek sighed even as his wolf whined at the back of his mind. For whatever reason, his wolf had always been very protective of Stiles, he still had nightmares about losing her. He had to admit he'd grown rather fond of the hyperactive teen over the years of them working together. Realizing that they might have to kill her when she was possessed by the Nogitsune had made him feel physically ill. For whatever reason skinny, defenseless Stiles had wormed her way under his skin and made a home in his heart. Not that he'd ever tell her that.

"So what am I supposed to do with this information Stiles?" He could almost hear her shrugging.

"Pass it on to Uncle Pedo? See if he knows anything. I don't know Derek! I just wanted to share that my awesome brain worked out the puzzle. I'm trying to piece together any other connections they might have had but I can't find any so far. I might see if Danny can hack into their phone records tomorrow." Derek snorted a laugh.

"You know for the sheriff's kid you really do a lot of illegal shit." Stiles dropped her phone.

"Stiles? You alright?" There was the sound of scrambling and then Stiles' voice came back over the line.

"You laughed! Holly shit I wish I had been recording! You have the capability to laugh! I must tell the world!" Derek rolled his eyes at her enthusiasm.

"Stiles, stop." He could hear the shit eating grin in her voice as she replied.

"Never. If I don't tease you who will? Everyone else is too intimidated by that whole 'grr I'm the Alpha' thing." Derek was gonna get dizzy if he kept rolling his eyes.

"And you're not?"

"Nah. After having a centuries old dark fox in my brain not much scares me anymore." She yawned and the wolf at the back of his mind growled at the thought of the Noguitsune torturing Stiles for months on end in her own head. He knew part of the reason she didn't really sleep anymore was because she often woke up in screaming fits of terror. Usually her dad could calm her down but sometimes she needed to call in a pack member to help her calm down. More often than not it was Erica, the two had become very close after the beating Stiles had received from Gerard. Boyd also stuck close to them since then. Again that feeling of protectiveness reared up in his mind. He sighed.

"I suppose that makes sense." Stiles yawned again despite her best efforts to stifle it.

"So do we have any idea what could be doing this?" Derek shook his head.

"Well it's hard to know for sure. Could be a lot of things. I'd say the most likely thing is that it's a witch. They're hard to find though and can be even harder to stop." Derek paused. There was nearly no sound from Stiles' end of the phone.

"Stiles?" Still nothing. Derek felt his heart pound, fear rushing through his veins.

"Stiles!?" There was a loud snore form the other end of the line and the Alpha let out a sigh of relief. She'd fallen asleep on the phone with him. In her desk chair more than likely. He shook his head.

"Goodnight Stiles." He hung up and finished his bicep curls. A giggle from the doorway drew his attention to his little sister leaning on the doorframe. He rolled his eyes at her.

"What Cora?" She shook her head and smiled a bit wider.

"You're just too cute with her. You came back to Beacon when you heard she and her buddies were in trouble, you couldn't kill the Nogitsune because it was in her. Any other person in Beacon and you would have killed them for the greater good with only a second thought. But not Stiles, never Stiles." Derek shook his head but didn't say anything. Cora shook her head as Derek grabbed his jacket.

"Off to see your princess?" Derek rolled his eyes.

"No I'm going on patrol, we've got something creeping around Beacon Hills, I need to make sure no one else gets hurt." Cora shook her head.

"Yeah right whatever big brother. You know if you stay in denial long enough someone else is gonna notice her and snatch her off the market." Derek let out a loud involuntary growl as his eyes flashed red. Cora raised her hands in surrender.

"Sorry oh mighty Alpha. I'm just stating facts. You need to buck up and ask the girl out. She's eighteen." Derek frowned. Last he'd checked she'd only been seventeen.

"When was her birthday?" Cora's grin could only be described as shit eating.

"Last December, towards the end of the Nogitsune debacle." Derek frowned. It made sense why she wouldn't really want to celebrate after killing multiple people and nearly dying herself, it made his wolf whine again. Cora hugged her brother tight.

"Go check on your girl." Derek snorted and hugged his sister back before heading out. He did the rounds of Beacon Hills quickly and parked the Camaro back at the loft. He walked out into the woods and shifted before running to Stiles' house. He easily scaled the side of the house and slid Stiles' window open without a sound. He found her asleep in her desk chair just like he thought she'd be. Her phone was on the floor, it had fallen out of her hand. She was twitching and groaning in her sleep. He gently picked her up and her twitching instantly stopped. She sighed and leaned into him. He smiled and his wolf almost purred in approval. He laid her down on the bed and carefully tucked her in. He stooped and picked up her phone he found her charger plugged in next to her bed. He plugged it in and set the phone down on the bedside table. A noise drew his attention to the bed again. Stiles was whimpering, kicking and fighting the blankets. His wolf whimpered again and he sat down on the edge of the bed.

"It's ok Stiles, I'm here." He ran a hand through her nearly pixie length hair. She leaned into his touch, a smile flickering into place. He couldn't help but smile lightly as she calmed down. He didn't think about how long he stayed there until he heard the sound of the Sheriff's car pulling into place next to Stiles' Jeep. He waited until the front door opened and closed before he ran his hand through her hair one last time and slipped out the window. He waited in the shadows as the Sheriff carefully peeked into Stiles' room. He could easily hear the sigh of relief from the man's throat.

"Good she's actually sleeping for once." He carefully closed the door. Derek smiled and slipped back into the room for a moment to make sure Stiles was going to stay asleep. She turned to him as he sat down on the bed, she wrapped a hand around his wrist and snored slightly. Derek muffled a laugh. He did have to go soon, they had work to do in the morning. If Stiles was right about the fairy tales he needed to call Peter, see if he knew anything about what was going on. He'd prefer to have answers by morning if possible. The pack had too many human members who would be vulnerable to a magical attack. Stiles was the first one that came to mind since the Nogitsune the whole pack had been extra protective of her. Danny was human too and pack by proxy through both Lydia and Jackson. Then there was Allison. She was another conundrum; her father had proven to be an ally of the pack no matter how warry Derek was of trusting an Argent. But then there was the fact that Isaac and Allison were more than likely doing the nasty. They were at the very least dating. Kira wasn't a wolf either but her mother was a nine-hundred-year-old kitsune, she could handle her own shit even though she was pack. Malia was a… complication. His cousin, Peter's daughter, and the only reason Peter had come back to Beacon after everything that had happened. But she was pack, through Stiles who was, according to everyone he talked to, the only reason she was more human than coyote at this point.

He tried to move his arm and Stiles whimpered cuddling closer to him. His wolf howled with approval and the need to stay by her side, make sure she was safe even in her dreams. But he couldn't stay he needed to make sure the pack was safe. She had more of a grip on his shirt than anything else so slowly, carefully he pulled off his shirt. She curled up around it hugging it close. His wolf still wanted to stay but it was satisfied that Stiles would smell like him when she woke up. With that thought happily confusing him he took his leave.


	2. Farmers Market

**Author's Note: STEREK FOREVER! Hehehehehe. I have an evil plan for this story. I own nothing.**

2\. The Farmers Market

Stiles woke up feeling more rested than she had in months. She did a quick count of fingers and toes. Ten each, good. It was an odd quirk she'd developed after the Nogitsune but it helped. She sat up and something fell into her lap. She frowned and looked down. It was a black short sleeve Henley, the kind Derek always wore. Now confused Stiles examined the shirt closer. It seriously looked like it had just been yanked right out of Derek's closet. She pulled it up to her nose and smelled it. Her eyes widened. It was Derek's it smelled just like him. Musky, like the woods after rain and something else. She couldn't put her finger on it but it was nice. It kinda explained why she'd been dreaming about him last night. She blushed bright red and looked around. She frowned again. She remembered calling Derek to let him know that she had figured out the connection between the girls. They'd been talking but she must have fallen asleep. But she distinctly remembered being at her desk. She had no memory of getting into bed. She also didn't remember plugging in her phone but there it sat, fully charged on her bedside table. She checked her phone. It was seven am on a Saturday. She was even up early. She yawned and stretched and made a split-second decision. She had worked out that she'd likely fallen asleep on the phone with Derek who'd gotten worried like the overprotective Alpha he was and come to check up on her. He'd literally tucked her in and that thought made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

She got up and changed into some baggy shorts and a new bra wincing as she realized she'd fallen asleep in the bra she'd worn yesterday. Then she slipped on the too large Henley. She smiled as the sleeves fell past her hands. She skipped downstairs. Her dad was making a pot of coffee and looked up at his daughter a smile on her face before he frowned at the shirt she was wearing. He cleared his throat but didn't comment. Stiles raised an eyebrow at him. He sighed.

"Stiles you are legally an adult now and I love you but at least promise me you used protection." Stiles blushed bright red.

"DAD!" John Stilinski shook his head raising his hands.

"Look I'm just worried about you, I know you can legally do everything but drink but you're still my baby girl. And you might vouch for him but I'm still not sure I trust that Hale boy." Stiles stammered and stuttered.

"Dad! Derek and I haven't had sex!" John eyed the shirt his daughter was wearing again.

"Sure…" Stiles rolled her eyes.

"I swear dad, Derek and I haven't had sex." He filled in the unspoken yet on his own. He knew his daughter had fallen for the man, he couldn't really blame her. He knew more than the Hale pack gave him credit for. He'd had them figured out of a while now, since before they defeated the thing that had tried to take his daughter away and nearly succeeded. He still didn't know exactly what was going on but he knew that his daughter was in deep, too deep to get out. And the other people who had been in on this from the beginning were Derek Hale and Scott McCall. He trusted Scott, he was a good kid if a bit oblivious. But he wasn't sure about Derek. He'd once arrested the man for murder after all. He still wasn't convinced that he was one hundred percent innocent either but neither was he sure of anything else in this town anymore. He sighed again and hugged his daughter.

"Look whatever's going on I just want you to be safe. I love you kiddo. But seriously remind him I have guns and know how to hide a body without evidence." Stiles laughed and for a moment he saw the light in her eyes sparkle again, a sparkle he hadn't seen in far too long. She was getting better, slowly but surely. And if Derek Hale had a hand in it more power to him, John Stilinski was nothing if not flexible. Stiles hugged him back and grabbed her keys slipping them into the pocket of her shorts. It was finally heading into summer and the annual Beacon Hills Farmers Market was in full swing. Stiles loved the market, her m other had taken her to it for years. She snagged a bag full of bags off of one of the side counters in the kitchen.

"Headed out?" Stiles nodded.

"Yep. We need more veggies and I'm making pies for when we have Isaac's welcome home party." John nodded.

"That's right he and Allison get back tomorrow right?" Stiles nodded and hugged her dad again before heading out to her jeep. She drove away and John smiled to himself. His little girl was growing up.

Stiles hummed to herself as she wandered around the farmers market. She had already filled one bag with veggies and put back in her Jeep. She was searching through fresh baked breads when she heard someone call out her name. She looked up and grinned at the Hale pack. Scott, who had become Derek's second in command, Jackson who wasn't nearly as evil as he had been before he'd been turned into a full wolf, Lydia, her glorious red hair up in a braid. Erica had her blonde hair in flowing curls today and was as usual attached to Boyd's arm. The twins Aiden and Ethan followed behind the rest of the group. The twin Alpha's were still a little wary of their place in Derek's pack because of everything that had happened with the pack they had originally belonged to. Stiles waved before going back to picking out her bread. Scott came up behind her like he usually did to pick her up and hug her but paused his nose twitching. Stiles turned and frowned at the look in her best friend's puppy dog eyes.

"Why do you smell so much like Derek?" Lydia looked up from her phone and a wicked grin lit her face. Erica had a similar smile as Stiles sighed. Aiden laughed out loud as Lydia detached herself from Jackson and circled Stiles like a hawk.

"Does that shirt belong to who I think it belongs to?" Stiles rolled her eyes again, paying for her bread.

"Yes." Erica whooped.

"Finally! They finally had sex! I win the bet!" Stiles whirled the tips of her ears going red.

"We didn't have sex Erica. Also, what bet?!" Erica swore. Boyd chuckled.

"Well that's a bet you've lost Erica. We all knew it would be you who revealed the initial bet. Pay up." Erica swore and pulled out her wallet. She began passing tens and twenties to the other wolves and the Banshee. Lydia grinned as she took forty off of the she wolf and turned back to Stiles.

"So, since the puppies can tell if you're lying and none of them are calling you out, how did you come by this shirt that clearly belongs to our beloved Alpha?" Stiles blushed slightly as she moved on to the next booth, this one sold Honey.

"Honestly? I'm not sure. I called him last night cause I figured out the connection between the girls that have been attacked." Lydia slung an arm around her shoulder.

"Oh? And what's that?" Stiles smiled.

"Fairy tales." Stiles grinned and explained the connection she'd found before continuing.

"And I fell asleep on the phone with Derek, at my desk at around one I think. I woke up this morning in my bed feeling better than I have in nearly a year. And I was holding Derek's shirt. No real clue how it got there but if I had to guess I'd say he came to check on me." Lydia smiled and Erica smirked. Scott looked confused.

"But why though?" Boyd punched Scott in the shoulder lightly.

"You are such a dummy Scott." Jackson laughed lightly.

"And Boyd has spoken for the day." Stiles chuckled. Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"So why did you decide to wear his shirt?" Stiles shrugged.

"It's a social experiment. Plus if he didn't want me to steal his comfy shirt he shouldn't have left it in my room." Erica giggled as Stiles moved from booth to booth buying fresh veggies and other things. She pawned off her bags on the boys while she, Lydia and Erica looked at one of the booths that was selling homemade clothes. Lydia insisted on buying Stiles a cute red skirt. Stiles protested heavily but Lydia insisted that she was going to make the other girl wear it for Isaac's welcome home party. Stiles rolled her eyes.

"I'm telling you Lyds I'm jinxed when it comes to skirts and dresses! The last time I wore one you got bit by Peter and I got kidnapped!" Lydia shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Stiles, buck up. You're wearing the skirt to the party tomorrow." Stiles rolled her eyes but took the skirt muttering under her breath about banshees. Lydia grinned and found a black top that would go well with the skirt. Stiles just rolled her eyes as Lydia played Barbie doll. They were walking back to her car when Stiles looked down at her bags of produce and swore.

"Shit. I forgot apples." Boyd set down the bag he'd been given in the back of Stiles' Jeep.

"We can go back for those." Stiles shook her head smiling at Boyd's suggestion.

"No, I'll get them, last time I sent someone for pie apples Scott came back with Granny Smiths. I need a specific kind. I'll meet you guys at the loft. I'm keeping a bunch of this there, most of it's for the party anyway. Tell Derek I'll be late, gotta drop by my house." She grabbed a basket out of the back of her jeep and raced back off into the farmers market.


	3. The Prep

**Author's Note: Hehehehehehehehehehe. Yep I own nothing.**

3\. The Prep

Stiles made her way back over to one of the booths she'd spotted before, she hadn't seen this one here before. The woman behind the tables of fresh fruit was older, slightly hunched over. She smiled crockedly at Stiles.

"Hello my dear. How can I help you today my dear?" Stiles smiled back ignoring the feeling at the back of her head that told her something was off.

"I need apples for a few pies." The woman smiled again.

"I have just what you need!" The stack of apples she led Stiles to was beautiful, all plump red and nearly perfect. Stiles picked out fifteen perfect apples and smiled as the lady began to ring her out talking about the weather. The feeling at the back of her head hadn't gone away but really what could possibly go wrong about this sweet old lady selling her apples. Something stirred in the back of her mind but again something else told her to ignore it. The woman loaded a few extra apples into Stiles basket.

"On the house sweetie, there's always a margin for error with pies." Stiles shook her head.

"You don't have to do that." The old woman smiled again.

"No problem sweetie. I hope that boy of yours appreciates what he's got." Stiles blushed bright red.

"What boy?" The woman's smile turned knowing.

"The one that shirt belongs to. No need to be shy sweetie, you're a beautiful girl any boy would be lucky to have you." Stiles handed over some cash her face nearly as red as the apples in her basket. She smiled at the old woman again and walked away with her apples. Once Stiles was out of sight the woman smiled wider than she had before.

"And the last piece begins to fall into place."

Stiles piled the fruit into the back of the Jeep and drove off home. She dropped off the veggies and the bread and picked up a few more ingredients she'd need that she was sure Derek wouldn't have. No one knew the secret to her pies except her dad, but she would bet her bottom dollar that Derek didn't have caramel sauce at his house. She slid back into the Jeep and the basket of apples caught her eye. She felt her stomach grumble and was about to turn and grab one of the apples at the top of the basket to eat on the way to the Loft when her phone buzzed. She glanced over at it and saw Derek was calling her. She picked up, forgetting about the apples in the back for a moment.

"Yello?" She could almost hear Derek rolling his eyes.

"Stiles where are you? They said you were gonna be late." Stiles rolled her eyes.

"I had to stop at home to drop off some of the veggies I bought at the farmers market." Derek grunted in understanding as Stiles started up the car and drove out of the driveway.

"Alright. I don't want anyone wandering around on their own for a while. Not until we take care of whatever this is." Stiles nodded switching the phone to speaker and setting it in the cup holder.

"I'm literally on my way to the loft right now. May stop for curly fries, I'm hungry." Derek growled slightly.

"We'll order takeout Stiles. Get here now were having a pack meeting." Stiles rolled her eyes again.

"I'm on my way Sourwolf. Did you talk to Uncle Pedo about what this might be?" Derek made an affirmative noise.

"Yes. He, Malia and Danny are already here. Everyone is here but you." Stiles stopped at the light and sighed.

"I am literally five minutes away you overprotective ass. I'll be fine." Someone had apparently taken the phone from Derek.

"Stiles! Did you get the apples you needed?" Stiles grinned, it was Liam's voice. He was alright when he wasn't going crazy. He'd been getting better with both Derek and Scott giving him instructions.

"I did Liam." The young wolf whooped.

"Yes! Pie!" Stiles chuckled.

"You cant have any until tomorrow. They're for the party Liam." He whined and Stiles chuckled.

"Hand the phone back to Derek please Liam, I need to ask him a question." Liam whined again before handing the phone back over.

"Liam says you have a question?" Stiles nodded turning the corner.

"Yeah, did you get the stuff I asked you to get for the cookies?"

"Yes, I got everything on the list you gave me." Stiles grinned and pulled into the parking lot of the apartment building.

"Excellent. Send some of the puppies down to help me out with the groceries." Derek nodded and moments later Scott, Malia, Kira and Liam were racing up to Stiles' car. Malia grabbed the basket of apples, Kira grabbed a bag of veggies, Scott and Liam grabbed the rest leaving Stiles with just her bag with the three bottles of caramel sauce. They took the elevator and arrived at the Loft in about five minutes. Derek was leaning on the table that normally held the map of the preserve. He looked up and the glass in his hand shattered as Stiles stepped into the room. Peter looked up, an almost alarmed look in his eyes at Derek's reaction. Then he spotted Stiles and spit coke all over Danny who he appeared to have been having a conversation with. Lydia burst out laughing. Stiles shook her head.

"What?" Peter grinned whipping his chin and ignoring Danny who was looking very angry about being doused with second hand soda.

"Nothing at all, you look positively ravishing today Stiles." Derek whirled on Peter his eyes glowing red a growl shaking the table next to him. Peter whined and cowered away from the Alpha. Stiles stepped forwards.

"Derek!" He turned shifting back from his Alpha form to human. The room went silent as everyone stared at the pair. Tension filled the air, anyone with a better than human nose could smell the emotions rolling off of the two. Stiles was confused, happy, and yep slightly aroused by Derek's display of protectiveness. That seemed to be the main emotion rolling off of Derek, protectiveness and happiness and arousal rolled off the Alpha.

"Down boy!" A ripple of laughter at Stiles' joke shattered the tension. Stiles gestured the wolves who'd carried the groceries into the kitchen. Scott and Liam went purposefully around Derek instead of between them. Even Scott, with his oblivious nature, noticed something going on between them. Stiles blushed and rubbed the back of her neck.

"I ummm… I'm gonna start the pies. They… They take a lot of time." Derek nodded and let Stiles slink off into the kitchen.


	4. Protection

**Author's Note: Hehehehehe yeah, yall love my horribleness and you know it. I own nothing.**

4\. Protection

The pies were slowed by Liam constantly asking questions about the process of pie making. Eventually she set him to kneading the dough for the shepherd's pie. She sliced apples and mixed vegetables. She set aside one of the apples from the basket without even realizing she was doing it. She mixed her marinade for the apples and set the sliced apples into the marinade before covering the whole thing with plastic wrap and setting it in the fridge. She set a timer for twenty minutes and grabbed the apple off the counter. Tossing it between her hands she went to check on Liam.

"Whoa, no need for violence against the dough Liam. It's not gonna rise up and hurt you. I promise." Stiles lifted the apple to her lips.

"Stiles! Liam! Get in here!" Derek called. Stiles sighed and set down her apple and followed Liam into the living room.

"So, thanks to Stiles figuring out the connection between the girls," Stiles bowed exaggeratedly, Derek rolled his eyes and continued, "Peter and I have figured out that we're likely dealing with a witch. Until we catch her no one goes anywhere alone. That goes double for the humans in the pack. Stiles, Danny one or more of us will be with you at all times, I don't care who." Peter smiled slightly and waved at Stiles. Derek growled again eyes flashing at Peter. He put up his hands in surrender. Stiles spoke.

"I vote that creepy uncle Pedo is taken off the list of potential protectors." Danny raised his hand.

"Seconded." Ethan wrapped his arm around Danny and laughed. Jackson stepped forwards.

"Ok so how do we take down a witch?" Peter stepped up to the table.

"Take off the head or take out the heart. Only way to really kill them. Then we burn them." Derek nodded.

"We haven't been able to get ahold of Deaton, Scott you know where he is?" Scott thought for a moment.

"Yeah, he said he was going out of town for a week or two for some kind of meet up. He didn't say what kind of meet up." Derek nodded.

"See if you have better luck getting ahold of him. Stiles, you and I will go pick up Isaac and Allison tomorrow morning. We'll bring them here for the party. How's food going for that anyway?" A timer beeped in the background.

"That's my que to exit again, gotta put the pies together. But it's going great, I'm gonna steal Liam to help me finish the food. Seriously your kitchen is too small Derek, it's literally like feeding an army feeding you guys." Liam followed her into the kitchen. The rest of the day passed in a swirl of flour and sugar. Stiles' apple lay forgotten on the counter as Derek accompanied her home.

Twenty minutes after she arrived home and got a text from her dad letting her know he would be working late there was a knock at her door. She peeked through the peep hole on the door and sighed slightly in relief when she spotted Lydia and Erica at the door, both were holding bags. Stiles opened the door and Erica launched herself into Stiles' arms with a laugh.

"Sleepover!" Stiles laughed and Lydia closed the door behind her.

"Alright, sleepover I guess. Was this your idea Lydia?" Lydia shook her head.

"Derek's actually, he wanted at least one of us with you so we're making a girl's night of it. Kira would have come but she's at Scotts." Stiles rolled her eyes.

"Alright. We can all stay in my room I guess." Lydia nodded and handed Stiles her bag before heading back out to the car. Stiles stuck her head out the door. Erica handed Stiles her bag and helped Lydia unload at least two more bags.

"What all did you bring!?" Lydia grinned.

"Just some things for a makeover. You're not getting out of it Stiles. We have you trapped. You're stuck with us all night." Stiles gulped as Erica grinned a toothy smile.

Derek tapped on the door of the Stilinski household the next morning and heard Lydia call out for him to come in. He tried the door and found it unlocked. He turned the knob and stepped into the house. He was about to yell at them for leaving the door unlocked when there was a witch in town when Stiles walked downstairs and he suddenly forgot how words worked.

She looked amazing, her hair was gently curled, despite the fact that it didn't fall past her ears it framed her face well. There was a golden sparkly headband in his hair. She was wearing a floaty black top that framed her body perfectly, unlike the overly large t shirts she normally wore. The flowy red skirt she wore showed off her legs. Her lips were painted a deep red and her eyes were outlined in smoky charcoal liner. She looked fantastic but at the last second he noticed she was wobbling on the heels she was wearing. He leapt forwards and caught her just as she fell. They were inches apart when Erica popped her head around the corner and snapped a picture. Derek's ears turned red and Stiles blushed the same shade as her skirt.

"God damn it Erica!" Stiles shouted at the she wolf but was unable to give chase as the blonde ran away because Derek hadn't let her go yet. He slowly took his hands off her and the red of his ears darkened.

"Sorry." They were silent for another moment as Lydia and Erica watched. They almost seemed to be inching closer to each other. The she wolf and banshee held their breaths. Stiles turned her head away.

"We should probably go get Isaac and Allison. They're gonna be landing soon." Lydia swore loudly and stomped off, Erica rolled her eyes and opened the door for her Alpha. Derek opened the door for Stiles and closed it when she was settled. Lydia shook her head.

"I swear if those two don't stop dancing around each other I'm gonna lock them in a closet and line the door with mountain ash, until they actually tell each other how they feel." Erica nodded as the car pulled out of the driveway.


	5. The Bite

**Author's Note: Haven't touched this one in a bit, sorry for making y'all wait but some things came up in my other stories. I own nothing.**

5 The Bite

The ride to the Airport three hours away was a quiet one. Derek's ears were still bright red at the tips and Stiles had a permanent blush staining her cheeks. They arrived at the airport to find that Isaac and Allison's flight into California had been delayed. Derek found them a few seats and they waited in silence. If he was honest Derek had no idea what to say to her, everything had changed since the Nogitsune. Stiles was slightly more reserved than before, the nightmares were a give in of course but the Stiles he'd come to know before the dark fox had taken her over had never had the capability of being quiet for more than two minutes or so but now she sat her foot twitching in her heels but not speaking. It unnerved him a bit. She looked like she was playing something on her phone. Derek sighed.

Not soon enough for him Isaac and Allison's plane was landing and soon Stiles was smiling again as she carefully made her way over to Allison. The huntress wolf whistled at her friend.

"I see Lydia finally got her claws on you." Stiles rolled her eyes.

"It's temporary. I'm never ever wearing heels or a skirt again. I'm expecting something to go wrong any minute." Isaac laughed loudly as Allison hugged Stiles. Stiles flipped the wolf off behind Allison's back. Isaac stuck his tongue out at her and Derek rolled his eyes as he patted Isaac on the shoulder. Stiles wobbled forwards as Isaac took Allison's bag and his own off the carousal at baggage claim. Derek sighed and knelt down in front of her. She looked at him confused.

"I'm only offering because you won't be able to keep up in those heels. I have no idea why Lydia thought it was a good idea to put them on you. I'm surprised you haven't fallen and broken something." Blushing bright red Stiles silently accepted Derek's offer of a piggy back ride. Allison giggled behind her hand, she had a feeling she knew exactly why Lydia had put Stiles in heels much higher than anything Stiles had ever worn. She pulled her phone out of Isaac's jacket and snapped a quiet photo of Derek carrying Stiles out of the airport and sent it to Lydia.

'Nicely done.' The reply was instant.

'OH THANK GOD SOMEONE FINALLY MADE A MOVE! WHO WAS IT!?' Allison had to hold in another giggle.

'Derek.' There was a garbled message full of swear words. Allison shook her head as Derek opened the trunk of the Camaro and then opened the passenger door for Stiles as he let Isaac open the door for Allison. He made sure Stiles was settled before he got into the car and waited for the others to get into the car. Allison cleared her throat as she fastened her seat belt and patted Stiles on her shoulder.

"I'm glad you're ok Stiles." She had wanted so badly to come back with her father to help with the Nogitsune but he had left her in the very attentive care of her cousins with instructions not to let her on a plane back to Beacon until he said it was safe. Lydia had kept her up to date for a while but things had gotten too crazy to let her know every step of the way what was happening. She'd gotten an email about two months ago detailing everything, including how they'd beaten the Nogitsune and apologizing profusely for not emailing sooner. She'd talked to Stiles a few times on the phone since then but she'd always sounded a bit strained.

She looked different, Allison mused as they pulled out of the parking garage. She was skinnier, she'd lost all of the baby fat she'd had left. She'd also lost a lot of that sparkle she'd had behind those big brown eyes. They didn't quite look dead but they looked different. But as she smiled at Derek as he turned up a song she liked on the radio Allison saw a glimmer of the old Stiles in her eyes. She turned to Isaac and smiled as he grinned at his Alpha and the girl who'd managed to claw her way into his heart in the front seat.

"So what's been going on in Beacon, Scott mentioned something on the phone a few days ago but he didn't say what it was." Derek nodded and turned down the radio a touch.

"A witch. We're not sure what she's doing yet, but so far three girls have ended up comatose." Derek explained the situation and the he was requiring at least one pack member with every human member of the pack at all times until the witch was dealt with. The drive back to Beacon was less awkward, Isaac and Allison told them a few stories of their adventures in France and Stiles demanded to see pictures but she still seemed a bit distracted. Soon they had reached the parking lot for the Loft and Derek came around to help Stiles out of the car as Isaac opened the door for Allison.

Derek unlocked the door and pulled it open with a florish. Everyone who'd been waiting behind it shouted 'Surprise!' and Allison grinned. Isaac had likely heard people breathing in the loft when they'd reached the level but she'd had no idea they'd been planning a party. The tables were full to bursting with food. Stiles excused herself to the kitchen to finish up a few things as the others greeted Isaac and Allison. Scott pulled Derek aside.

"I finally managed to get ahold of Deaton. He's heading back to Beacon right now. I told him everything that was going on and he said it sounded like a ritual he'd heard of before and told me to grab a book from his office but I suck at Archaic Latin so I couldn't make heads or tails of it. Lydia was taking a look before you guys got back." Derek nodded.

"Run it by Stiles too, she's good at that kind of thing." Scott nodded and patted Isaac on the shoulder before grabbing an old dusty tome off the coffee table and heading into the kitchen. Derek listened to what was happening in the kitchen as he grabbed a soda off the long table Boyd had found at the thrift store the week before.

"Scott my hands are literally full you're gonna have to hold the book open or take the pie and I don't trust you not to eat the whole thing by yourself." The werewolf gave a long-suffering sigh and then the sounds of pages turning. Derek tuned them out and nodded at Melissa McCall who was leaning against the back of the couch fussing over something Lydia had said. Stiles' voice caught his attention again.

"Hmmm so it's something about the elements? That's a little weird. It doesn't mention anything about the fairy tales." Stiles backed out of the kitchen holding one of the pies still intently reading the book in Scott's hands. She had kicked off the heels as soon as they'd entered the loft. But she hadn't put them to the side. She squeaked as she stumbled backwards on one of the discarded shoes and began to fall. All the wolves in the room lunged to catch her but somehow Derek, who'd been across the room from her, got there first steadying her and catching the pie before it could spill all over her front. Isaac clapped as Derek took the still warm from the oven pie from Stiles and carefully set her on her feet but did not let her go.

Stiles could feel herself go bright red as she had fallen but the blush didn't get any better as Derek steadied her and kept his hand on her waist as he set her on her feet. Stupid shoes, stupid Lydia for making her wear them. The room was silent for a moment until Isaac began clapping making her feel even more embarrassed. Cora slapped the beta upside the head as Derek finally let go his ears going bright red. Stiles didn't hear what Peter said but it made Derek growl as she embarrassedly slipped into the kitchen despite there being nothing else she needed to get. Absently she grabbed the apple she'd left on the counter the night before and rolled it between her hands. She peeked out of the kitchen through the door and smiled slightly. She would definitely not say no to a date with Derek if he was interested but there was no way, he was just being protective. She sighed as she thought about it. Who'd want to be with her knowing what she'd done as the Nogitsune? Derek was way too far out of her league anyway. Without thinking about it she took a bite of the apple in her hand as she looked out over the pack.

Suddenly it was like all the air in the room was gone. Her mouth and throat felt like they were burning. She tried to gasp but nothing was working anymore. Panic set in as the world in front of her blurred and dimmed. She couldn't even make a noise to let the pack know something was wrong. Her last thought before the darkness closed over her was that she really should have seen this coming.

The whole pack went still as a loud thump sounded from the kitchen. Scott was closest and stuck his head in. He somehow managed to scream and growl at the same time. Derek was across the room in seconds leaping over the couch without care for the people sitting on it who ducked just in time. Stiles was on the floor in the kitchen. Her eyes were closed as she was splayed out like she'd fallen. Melissa pushed past the wolves and began to check her over.

"She's not breathing!" The whole pack was quiet as Melissa began working on Stiles. It took a few minutes but finally she breathed. Derek let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. But Stiles showed no sign of waking up. Not even a twitch nothing beyond the slight rise and fall of her chest. Something rolled out of her hand and came to a stop at Lydia's heels. She bent down and snatched it up. Peter came up to her shoulder and pulled a face at the scent coming off the bitten apple in Lydia's hand.

"Magic." He confirmed plucking the apple from Lydia's hand as Derek bent down over Stiles. The alpha carefully picked Stiles up and moved her over to the couch. She didn't even twitch. Scott whined. His best friend had gone so pale in the last few minutes. She didn't look as bad as she had when he'd finally bitten the Nogitsune but that was only because she didn't have the deep shadows under her eyes. Lydia did a quick head count.

"It doesn't make sense though, the apple would fit Snow White for fairy tale theme but there's more than seven of us." Jackson seemed to think for a moment.

"There were seven of us when she bought the apples though, not including her." Lydia did a mental head count and swore. Derek's eyes were blazing red as he snatched Scott's phone off the table where he'd left it.

"Get Deaton here now!" Scott didn't argue just stepped to the side and began dialing.


	6. The Ritual

**Author's Note: BWAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA yeah so that happened. Moving along, this one's a little short... I own nothing.**

6\. The Ritual

It took Deaton nearly an hour to get to the loft from wherever he was when Scott finally managed to get him on the phone. When he made it up to the door, which was opened for him by a spooked looking Erica, he found Lydia and Peter pouring over the book he'd recommended to Scott, quietly arguing over the correct translation. Jackson was behind Lydia occasionally growling at Peter when he got too close. Scott was pacing while Boyd and Isaac kept watch at the windows. Allison was in the corner arguing on the phone with someone who could only be her father. Danny had his laptop out and was doing research while the twins peered over his shoulders. Derek was standing stone still at the far end of the couch staring down at its stone still occupant. Melissa McCall was checking Stiles over again. Every wolf in the room looked up at the sound of Deaton's entrance. Every set of supernatural eyes was currently glowing their respective colors in agitation. A short growl from Derek set them back to their respective tasks. The party decorations didn't fit the somber mood that had swallowed the room. Deaton made his way over to where Melissa was crouched next to Stiles as quickly as he could.

"What happened?" She shook her head and explained what they'd found in the kitchen. Deaton stood.

"Where's the apple now?" Peter held up his hand, in it was a bright red apple with a single bit taken out of it. Deaton snatched it from the wolf and set down his bag. He pulled a bottle out of it and poured a tiny drop of liquid out of the bottle onto the apple. The unassuming piece of fruit that had caused all of this sizzled and hissed black smoke coming off of the bite mark. Deaton grabbed the book from Lydia earning him a growl from Jackson that he ignored. He flipped forward a page or two from where they'd been reading and scanned the page. The whole room was quiet as he read quickly. It seemed like the whole pack was holding its breath when he spoke.

"It's not technically a curse. Which is good news. The bad news is it's a ritual to harness the powers of the elements through four proxy souls. The worse news is it sounds like she's got the last soul she needs." Derek still didn't look up but he did growl out a word seemingly too angry to form full sentences.

"Explain." Deaton sighed.

"Essentially the ritual allows the witch to harness the power of all four elements at any time without the need for further ritual, if it's done correctly. The elements are difficult to harness, particularly all at once. The souls need to be pure, virginal, and preferably female though it's not a requirement. The proxy souls are used to represent an element each, one for water, one for fire, one for air and one for earth. If the ritual is completed properly then the witch gains nearly unlimited power but it requires sacred ground to complete." Peter nodded at Deaton's words.

"That fucking Nemeton is the gift that keeps on giving isn't it." Scott stepped forwards.

"What happens to the souls if the ritual is completed?" Deaton's frown deepened.

"They become pure elementals and are absorbed by the witch. In laymen's terms, they die." A deep snarl sounded from across the room and all eyes snapped to Derek who was mostly shifted now but was no longer looking at Stiles. His piercing blood red gaze was fixed out the window. His nose was twitching. Deaton looked contemplative as Derek let loose a bone shaking howl that had Melissa clapping her hands over her ears. The others let loose howls answering their Alpha's call. Only Peter Lydia Melissa and Deaton remained as the wolves followed their alpha as he raced out of the building. Peter glanced after them.

"He has no idea where he's going. This won't end well." Deaton shook his head at the beta.

"I think he'll be able to find her." He tilted his head at Stiles. Peter frowned.

"Oh, how do you think that?" Deaton tapped his nose.

"Use the senses you were born with Hale." Peter stepped up to the back of the couch and sniffed daintily before taking a deeper breath. His eyes went wide.

"No way." He took another deep breath through his nose seemingly to confirm whatever he'd figured out. He stepped back from Stiles and shook his head.

"It does explain a few things but why haven't I smelled it before?" Deaton shrugged.

"Derek nearly lost her to the Nogitsune, he started realizing what she meant to him but the thought of losing her so soon after Scott and Lydia saved her… it pushed his wolf to recognize what she is to him." Peter nodded. Lydia was watching them closely. Melissa raised her eyebrow.

"Ok I am beyond confused here." Peter smiled.

"If he manages to save her, everyone's gonna find out just what our dear Stiles means to my dear nephew." Deaton nodded as the gears in Lydia's head turned on overdrive. She'd read so much about werewolves, both fact and fiction and she could only think of one thing they could be referencing but it couldn't be. Stiles was human, and as far as everything she'd ever read stated both parties had to be supernatural. She stated this to the others in the room and Deaton shook his head.

"Not necessarily. It's not so much about the body and what they might be but about the soul and their compatibility on that level. Besides, Stiles is still a Spark. So even if it were a requirement she meets it." Peter nodded glancing back at the still form on the couch.


	7. Elemental

**Author's Note: And my vacation has begun. I'm either gonna get a lot done on a few of my stories or almost nothing I really don't know. I know this is a super short chapter but I haven't had much time to actually work on this story. I own nothing.**

7\. Elemental

Stiles could see a forest around her. The preserve, she recognized it, she spent enough time out here after all, helping the puppies and hunting down supernatural trouble. But something was wrong. She was in the middle of a raging fire but it didn't hurt. She couldn't feel anything. Glancing around again she hissed as she spotted the remains of the Nemeton. It looked like a burned out stump but she could feel the power emanating from it. She realized now that she had always felt power in these woods, she just hadn't known what it was. She looked around determined to focus on anything but the devilish tree stump that sat in front of her Stiles noticed that the fire that surrounded her was in turn surrounded by stones, gems. Rubies if Stiles was correct and there were three other circles surrounding the Nemeton. One in emeralds, one in sapphires and one just barely visible over the stump in diamonds. In each circle was another element each roiling and raging like the fire in which Stiles stood.

A pool of water roiled and spouted around in the circle of sapphires. An ongoing earthquake seemed to rage inside the circle of emeralds and if Stiles wasn't mistaken that was a miniature tornado whirling across from her. In each miraculously contained natural disaster Stiles could just make out faces. Tormented but familiar. It took her a moment to recognize them but when she did her heart dropped to somewhere around her shoes. It was the girls who had been attacked by the witch. There was a laugh from behind her and Stiles whirled and frowned as the fire around her swirled with her motion and a woman stepped out of the shadows.

"Perfect. It took a day or two for the others to acclimatize to the element. But you seem naturally drawn into the fire. That's a bit unusual." The woman stepped forwards and Stiles tried to speak but no words came out, just sparks.

"You won't be able to talk sweet thing. But you are powerful. More powerful than I expected. You're a Spark, aren't you?" Stiles again tried to speak but only more sparks so instead she stuck out her tongue. But looking down it too seemed to be lined with flames. She looked down a bit closer, raising her hands to her eye level. Every curve and corner was lined with moving flames. It was impossible and yet here she stood more made of fire than flesh. She looked back at the woman and gasped. She was no longer the young brunette she'd been trying to talk to a moment ago. Still only flames exited. The woman laughed.

"You're quite a bit more awake than the other girls. They're mostly just here. No real thought or anything. Just elemental forces. But they were so easy to trick." Her face rippled and shifted and suddenly she was a blonde woman in a florist apron. Another ripple and she was a redhead with a slightly crocked nose. With the final ripple she transformed into the old lady from the fruit stand and Stiles gasped, another few plumes of flame escaping from her lips. The woman cackled and shifted back to her first form.

"But now I have everything I need to complete the task at hand." She pulled a book out of her bag and set it on the Nemeton. She flipped it open and riffled through the pages for a moment before she found what she was looking for. As she began to chant there was a loud long howl that had Stiles wanting with every part of her to howl back even if she wasn't a wolf. She felt that sound in her very soul.


	8. In The Flames

**Author's Note: I know I left off the last chapter pretty abruptly but my vacation was less relaxation and more running around than I expected. But we're getting to the fight, finally. I own nothing.**

8\. In The Flames

Derek saw red as he led the pack into the preserve. He could smell Stiles which was odd as he had left her behind in his loft, but there was no doubt about it. The scent of the woods, lavender soap, and the sparks off a camp fire lead him directly to the Nemeton. The pack slid into the shadows as Derek motioned for them to surround the remains of the tree and the circle that had been built there. The elements were acting up inside the circle, water spouting from a pool, a mini tornado swirling and gusting, rocks shooting up from the ground and fire spiraling and spinning into shapes. There was a voice Derek didn't recognize speaking from the inside of the circle.

"It's not quite the full moon yet, I wonder what's got the wolves so riled up." A figure shrugged as the fire spat at it. The figure pulled something out of a bag. It was a necklace with four stones set into its circumference, a diamond, a ruby a sapphire and an emerald. The elements roiled and raged as the figure set the necklace down on the Nemeton. Derek's nose twitched. He had to find Stiles and get her out of harm's way now before he went completely berserk. He could smell her like she was right in front of him but he couldn't see her. Then the fire turned and Derek froze. He could barely believe his eyes. Stiles face stared back at him from the center of the fire. The witch began to chant and each of the elements began to swirl in towards the Nemeton. Stiles looked paniced.

A howl of rage spilled forth from Derek's lips rattling the very ground around them. The other wolves answered. Derek felt something change, something about his shift was different this time. Deeper somehow. His claws and teeth were longer. He also seemed to be lower to the ground this time but he felt stronger, faster. His growl was deeper and more threatening as he lunged forwards and bounced off what could only be a line of mountain ash. Scott followed his lead and lunged. He actually managed to get through the line of mountain ash that lay between each of the elements.

Scott howled and lunged slashing at the witch who dodged looking shocked. Her chanting stuttered to a hault and everything went absolutely ballistic. The gems surrounding the elements shattered and the elements were free. The earth shook throwing Erica and Boyd to the ground. Water spilled over the edge of the small pool and ran down the flat surface away from the Nemeton, the tornado blew itself out and the fire rose up and raged. Faces became clear in the elements as three of the four escaped. The fire made no move to leave as the others had seemed to though. Instead it lunged for the witch as she threw Scott across the clearing. The witch shrieked in pain as the fire grabbed her clothes and caught them on fire. Derek leapt over the now empty pool that had so recently held water and began to circle the witch.

Melissa answered her phone as Lydia ran for the fire extinguisher.

"Hello?" It was her boss at the hospital. He was in an absolute panic, apparently the world was ending around the hospital. A wind storm had popped up out of nowhere and blown in many of the windows, there was an earthquake shaking the foundations and nearly every sink and toilet was overflowing for no reason whatsoever. Peter finally ripped the fire alarm out of the celing and ripped it to shreds in his hands allowing Melissa to hear what her boss was saying much more clearly.

"We need you to come in." Melissa glanced over at Deaton who nodded as she covered the speaker on her phone.

"Go there's not much else we can do here. It seems that the witch was interrupted." Melissa nodded and rushed out as Lydia sprayed the fire extinguisher over the figure on the couch. The fire dimmed for a moment and Melissa just made out Stiles still pale face before the flames leapt up again. All she could do was pray that everything would end well.

Allison stepped out of the bathroom, finally having finished her argument with her father. She stepped back into the living room to the sound of a fire extinguisher going off. Glancing around she saw that the room had turned into a mass of chaos. Peter was throwing away the remains of what appeared to be the fire alarm and Lydia was periodically spraying Stiles down with the fire extinguisher. A few seconds after Lydia sprayed her down Stiles would light back up but Allison could see no burns on Stiles. The couch was trash and there was a scorch mark on the ceiling though.

"Ummmm… What the heck did I miss?" Deaton flipped a page in his book and spoke as the fire around Stiles flared up again.

"The witch was interrupted during the ritual. The girls souls have been freed but they are still attached to the elements until the witch is killed." Allison coughed at the smoke that was still billowing in the room she cracked the window as Lydia sprayed Stiles down again.


	9. Out Of The Flames

**Author's Note: Continuing on… Sorry for the typos in the last chapter didn't have time to edit before I posted it. I own nothing.**

9\. Out Of The Fire

Derek snarled as the witch tried to beat back the fire which was rapidly spreading around the circle. He could hear every sound pounding in his head. The twins had combined into their Alpha form and were circling the line of now burning mountain ash with Scott, Cora and Malia. Isaac and Jackson were helping Erica and Boyd to their feet. He lunged and his teeth ripped into the witch's arm drawing blood and pulling a loud scream from her mouth. He snarled again as blood dripped off his muzzle. It took him a minute to realize that he had shifted into a full wolf but he couldn't think about that right now. Stiles' face flitted from flame to flame around the circle keeping the witch contained and away from the majority of the pack. Derek lunged again red eyes reflecting the fire around him as he knocked the witch off her feet.

She was panicking now, tears streaming down her face as she managed to throw Derek off. She pulled herself to her feet as the fire behind her lunged forwards and she shrieked.

"It was supposed to be simple. I never touched your pack! What business of yours is this!?" The wolves and were-coyote outside the circle of flames howled in defiance of the witch's words. Derek felt himself shift back to mostly human, eyes teeth and claws still out for the world to see. He snarled loudly, the whole clearing went still as he swiped at the witch's legs. His claws passed through her skin like a knife through warm butter. She yelled in pain as her legs gave out on her. She moved her hands as if to summon something but the fire with Stiles face leapt forwards again, between the witch and Derek. When the fire drew back it was slightly smaller but the witch's hands were crispy, burned nearly to the bone.

"You touched the most important member of my pack." Derek snarled pulling the witch up by her collar.

"You touched my mate. No one does that and lives." He felt himself shift into a full wolf again as he lunged forwards and sank his teeth into the witch's throat. He pulled hard and with ease her head came loose He stepped back off the corpse and spat out her neck. The fire advanced again growing dimmer by the minute. But soon the witch was a blaze, Derek shifted back to human as the fire died back to its original circle. He ran forwards but had to stop at the edge of the circle, the heat from the fire was still too hot even for him. Stiles face smiled up at him as the fire spat and petered to campfire levels. Derek reached out to her and the sparks of the fire reached out to him spinning and spiraling around him. Then the fire died, the last sparks spinning around him in a bright red glow. Stiles face vanished and her scent ebbed away as Jackson and Scott threw the last of the witch's things on the fire. Derek let out another Earth shaking howl.

Lydia had run out of fluid in the fire extinguisher. She watched as the fire consumed her friend then something changed. The fire flashed gold and vanished leaving Stiles untouched in the remains of the charred couch. She was covered in soot, ashes and foam from the last bout with the fire extinguisher but there wasn't a burn on her. The wind kicked up from the open window and Danny turned to close it when a large plume of sparks flew into the window and settled onto Stiles sinking into her skin. Once they'd disappeared she twitched and groaned.

There was an ear splitting howl that sounded like it was coming from the preserve. Danny snagged his phone off the table beside his laptop and called Ethan.

The clearing around the Nemeton was silent as the witch went up in flames. Aiden and Ethan had separated and Erica was buried in Boyd's side sobbing. The sound of a phone ringing went off like a shot in the silence. Ethan fumbled his phone for a second and answered.

"Danny? I can't talk right now." There was a pause as the other wolves refused to listen in to the conversation instead keeping their eyes on their alpha kneeling down in a bed of ash.

"Wait what? She's alright! You're sure!" Derek was across the clearing in a matter of seconds snatching the phone from Ethan's hand.

"Danny. Talk. Stiles. Now." He'd been reduced once again to monosyllables. Danny only got out a sentence or two before Derek dropped Ethan's phone and took off at a run shifting as he went to gain speed.

Deputy Parrish stuck his head into Sherriff Stilinski's office. The Sheriff held up a hand. He was on the phone with Beacon Hills General Hospital. There had been an unexplained but thankfully minor earthquake at the hospital along with a freak storm and something about the plumbing going crazy but it seemed that everything had worked itself out.

"Thanks for the update Melissa." John hung up the phone and turned to Parrish just in time to clap his hands over his ears as a howl sounded out from the preserve. It sounded broken, almost sad, but most of all it was loud. Parrish swore as it died out.

"Freaking wolves, I didn't even think there were any in California." John shook his head glaring out his window skeptically. He doubted that there were any 'normal' wolves in California. Parish looked down at the note in his hand.

"We've got a bunch of smoke complaints getting called in from a loft building across town." John nodded.

"Did we dispatch the fire department?" Parrish nodded.

"Yeah but I thought you might be interested in this one, it's the building owned by Derek Hale." John swore and grabbed his jacket.

"Stiles!" Parrish dodged back out of the way as the sheriff took off out the door. He threw himself into his squad car and raced off towards his daughter sirens blaring.


	10. Caught

**Author's Note: BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA**. **Yeah this one's likely ending soon. I own nothing.**

10\. Caught 

It took Derek less than five minutes to get back to his loft. He ignored the smoke pluming out of his windows and vaulted up the stairs taking them five and six at a time. He yanked his door open almost pulling it off its hinges. The scent was still there. Lavender soap and smoke and the woods after rain. He pushed past Peter and Deaton and found himself at Stiles side in moments. He knelt down next to her and brushed some soot off her cheek and she turned into his touch and those sunny whiskey eyes opened and smiled at him. He couldn't help himself, he pulled her into a kiss. Then froze. He couldn't believe he'd just done that. He made to pull back but Stiles flung her arms around him sending him off balance. He fell to the floor his arms wrapping around Stiles as his head spun. She hadn't rejected him. In fact, she was kissing him with an enthusiasm that could only belong to Stiles. His hand found the back of her head and he deepened the kiss as the other wolves made it up to the door and laughter and applause filled the loft. Derek didn't notice the noise die down, he was a bit preoccupied with Stiles tongue in his mouth. He did hear the click of a gun's safety though and pulled back flipping them so he was between Stiles and the threat. Stiles squeaked, foam flying off her hair and clothes.

"Hale, get your hands off my daughter right now!" Stiles glanced over Derek's shoulder and spotted her father slipping his gun into his holster. She would have been bent double laughing if Derek wasn't mostly shifted at the moment. She ran a hand along his arm and placed her palm gently on his face, mostly to hide the sideburns that weren't normally there.

"It's ok Derek it's just my dad." Derek took a deep breath slowly shifting back before he helped her to her feet staying in contact with her the whole time. He wrapped an arm around her and stepped behind her so she fit perfectly under his chin. He nuzzled into her hair for a moment before the sheriff cleared his throat.

"We got a call about excess smoke." John ran his eyes around the apartment. There was still smoke making its way out of the room and a charred pile of fluff where there had once been a couch. Stiles was covered in soot and ashes and what looked like the spray from a fire extinguisher. John sighed.

"Stiles. I want you to be honest with me for once. Did you set yourself on fire?" Stiles glanced around the room. Everyone was here most of them looked fine. Erica had a rapidly disappearing bruise on her arm and she could just see what was likely to be a colorful bruise on Scotts back above his shirts collar. She could feel something warm on Derek's chest as it pressed into her back, he was wearing the shreds of a shirt. He seemed like he was almost using her to hide the blood he was probably covered with.

"No…?" John sighed, there was no way he was going to get the truth out of her right now. He really hoped that was lipstick smeared across her mouth but somehow, he doubted it.

"Fine don't tell me the truth. But when you get home we are having a long, involved conversation about fire safety and your choice in men. Hale… Get your fire alarm fixed." Shaking his head John turned and left pulling out his phone to call off the fire department. The whole room let out a breath as the sheriff made his exit. Stiles turned around so she was facing Derek.

"So Mates huh?" Derek blushed bright red. Allison's mouth fell open and Lydia and Erica whooped and hugged each other as Stiles pulled Derek into another kiss. Peter smiled slightly as Derek buried his face in her hair. Stiles laughed as Deaton rolled his eyes and gathered up his book before bowing out. There was a knock at the door and Stiles looked up to see Kira peeking into the room. She had a glass casserole dish in her hands.

"I know I'm late, but seriously what did I miss!?" Stiles broke down giggling as Derek shook his head at Lydia and Erica excitedly filling Kira in on the events of the past two or so hours. Peter grabbed a beer off the still mostly intact refreshments table.

"Well my dear nephew, I am happy for you. Keep a close eye on that one from now on." He popped the top off the beer with a claw and turned away from the pair. Derek kissed Stiles on the forehead and Scott made an exaggerated gagging noise from where he was wrapped around Kira. Stiles flipped him off and pulled Derek into yet another kiss. He couldn't help but smile into her mouth. This was something he could most definitely get used to.


End file.
